Apple’s M5 iPad Pro is expected to launch this fall, and the rumors and leaks are rolling in. Cupertino’s top-of-the-line tablet is expected to bring some serious upgrades to its newest model, and we’ve got the lowdown on all of them right here.
The kinds of upgrades we’re expecting are not those you’d see immediately, as the rumor mill is pointing to a near-identical design alongside that gorgeously bright and vivid tandem OLED display. Instead, these are upgrades that you should feel with dramatic spec bumps coming to the internals.
From an upgraded chipset and more RAM as standard to a beefed up camera system, here’s everything you need to know about the next iPad Pro.
M5 iPad Pro: Cheat Sheet
- The M5 iPad Pro is expected to launch in October. This is further backed up by the M5 chip reportedly entering mass production in February, and display production starting in June.
- It is rumored to pack 16GB of RAM alongside the new M5 chip — possibly built on a new smaller 2-nanometer process for more transistors, more performance and more power efficiency.
- Alongside this, Apple is looking set to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 support — supporting over 5x faster download/upload speeds.
- While the design doesn’t look set to change, rumors point to a new dual front-facing camera system with one on the landscape side and one on the portrait edge.
Should you wait?
This is the big question I wanted to answer from the get-go. And the answer is “it depends.” Yep, I know that sounds like a cop out, but let me explain — there are two schools of thought here.
- On one side, there’s those who chase the latest and greatest. The M5 iPad Pro is predicted to launch this fall (October), which puts a few months away. If you’re one of these people, then I suggest you wait.
- Based on previous releases, you can expect a roughly 15-20% performance increase. Pair that with the fact you can get $100 off the scarily fast M4 iPad Pro, and this could be a good chance to save yourself some cash if you don’t mind compromising that power boost.
So it comes down to saving cash vs speeds and feeds. Do with this knowledge what you will.
What’s new?
Like I said, the M5 iPad Pro isn't necessarily going to be about upgrades you visibly see, but you should get a major performance boost.
M5 chip
The big new thing coming to the iPad Pro is in the name — the M5 chip. So far, there hasn’t been any leaked specs for this chip, which means I’ve got to apply some guess work.
Now, it could very well be built on a similar 3-nanometer process as the M4 and M3 before it. But back in January 2024, it was reported that Apple was “widely believed” to be the first client to take advantage of TSMC’s new 2-nanometer process of building chips.
This essentially means that the transistors on the chip will be smaller, so the company can pack more of them onto the same size chunk of silicon — leading to better performance and improved efficiency.
Let’s look at a similar timeline. Around mid 2021, news broke that Apple was working with TSMC (its chip provider) on these 3nm modes, which we saw the fruits of with the iPhone 15 Pro and M3 MacBook Pros in late 2023… Do you see where I’m going with this?
The timelines for these run long, and where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. I’m feeling increasingly confident that we’re going to see the next generational leap in chip technology drop in the M5 iPad Pro. On paper, this should mean:
- Improved performance: you should really feel faster single- and multi-core speeds, alongside a beefier GPU with higher ray tracing capabilities.
- Better battery life: spreading across more transistors usually equates to more efficient task completion, which means improved stamina.
- Faster AI: Apple’s Neural Engine is already one of the best in the business for local AI work, but this could be boosted drastically by the next-generation nodes.
More RAM and Wi-Fi 7
Two other key features are rumored to be paired with this new chipset to really make this feel an all-round turboboost.
First, there's 16GB RAM as standard. Currently, the M4 iPad Pro starts at 8GB, and just like we’ve seen with the MacBooks, rumors point to this base number doubling to support the multitasking demands of the iPadOS 26 and Apple Intelligence.
The second major upgrade is Wi-Fi 7. With today’s tablet supporting Wi-Fi 6E, you can theoretically get 9 gigabits per second (Gbps) speeds. Moving to Wi-Fi 7 will give you a maximum of 46 Gbps, along with compatibility with the new 6 GHz band you’re seeing in a lot of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers being sold today.
That means significantly faster download speeds on a clearer bandwidth that’s not being choked up by the many other devices you’ve got running on the same 5 GHz band. It just makes sense, especially with the whole iPhone 16 lineup getting the upgrade last year.
Dual cameras
Now let’s turn to the cameras. Currently, we just can’t seem to make our minds up about where the front-facing snapper should be.
If it’s on the landscape edge, that’s great with a keyboard cover or a stand, but not ideal when holding the tablet in portrait. Meanwhile, pop it on the other edge, and that’s great for FaceTimes with the iPad in hand, but is a nightmare to frame yourself in landscape mode.
Rumors are pointing to Apple giving you the best of both worlds — two 12MP front-facing cameras with one on the landscape and one on the portrait sides. Mix in some typical “it just works” Apple-ness that may use the accelerometer to intelligently switch cameras, and you’ll never have this framing problem again.
Meanwhile, around back, we’re not expecting any changes to the rear camera, so expect a 12MP shooter with LiDAR and that True Tone flash.
What’s staying the same with M5 iPad Pro?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. And beyond the rear camera, one thing seems to be inevitable based on the rumor mill.
Same design and display
Just because these two facets are probably staying the same doesn’t mean it's a bad thing.
The uber slim 5.3mm-thin design and utilitarian aesthetic makes this a real stunner in the hand — making you seriously think “how did they pack so much power in here!?”
And as for that tandem OLED display, it’s truly a mesmerizing experience. Labeled Ultra Retina XDR, Apple essentially stacks two OLED panels on top of each other to not just get the color and contrast ratio benefits of this tech, but also drastically boost the brightness.
In the M4 iPad Pro, you can get a peak brightness of 1,000 nits for SDR content, and top it out at a whopping 1,600 for HDR. That is completely worry-free use outdoors, and it's paired with a nano-texture glass for a glare-free experience.
Outlook
Apple has been cooking for this one, and the M5 iPad Pro is looking destined to be a significant upgrade — not just in the product itself, but as another step forward into a new generation of chipsets for the Cupertino crew.
The M5 iPad Pro is bringing the hype levels up, and it could be another move forward that will continue to put Apple ahead of not just its tablet competition, but in front of laptops, too. So all eyes are on later this year for what the company brings to the table.
More from Tom's Guide
- iPadOS 26 public beta — 5 features I'd try first
- iPadOS 26 public beta is here — how to download it now
- Amazon announces two new Kindle Colorsoft models — here’s how much they’ll cost
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